Customer Reviews

Trust [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Hal Hartley's simple, brilliant masterpiece. Martin Donovan should have won an oscar for his performance as Matthew Slaughter. All the characters are written to perfection, and they complement each other perfectly. The film is as sad as it is hilarious (there are some 50 lines of dialogue that are worth quoting here). Matthew Slaughter's character is made all the more real by the ending. As an "empiricist" who doesn't believe in love, he can only understand what it is (love) once things turn in the wrong direction for him. The love between him and Maria Coughlin (Adrienne Shelly) is not one of those stuffy Hollywood romances, but a simple trust and understanding between two individuals (admiration, respect, trust equal love!). Further complicating matters between them are their downright sinister parents; Matthew's father beats him, while Maria's mother blames her for the death of her father. Simple, intricate, funny, sad, and filled with nuggets of wisdom, this film ranks up there with "Psycho," "Wizard of Oz," "2001" and "Persona" as one of the crowing achievements of cinema, and unfortunately so very few of you out there have seen it.

If you like John Waters films (particularly "Female Trouble" and "Pink Flamingos") but were disappointed that they didn't quite clear the hurdle to being funny, then "Trust" is for you.

"Trust" is the follow-on to "The Unbelievable Truth," and features many of the same actors and themes. "The Unbelievable Truth," however, is a screwball romantic comedy, while "Trust" is flat-out black humor. If you're planning to watch both, watch "The Unbelievable Truth" first.

I spent the first half of "Trust" laughing, but wondering whether Hal Hartley intended it to be funny. By the end, it becomes clear that he did; this is one very funny film.

Back in the days when I was ignorant enough to shell out hard earned (or at least well faked) money for pay movie channels, I was bumbling around the "dial" and ran into the second half of Trust.

Later, I made a point of finding the next showing and watched and taped it.

I was blown away. The discourse was uniquely deadpan and honest at the same time. The acting was fabulous. Martin Donovan promptly became one of the few actors, and the only actor from North America, whose work is required viewing. I have a somewhat longer list of actresses, but being an unrepentant auteurist, required films are almost always based on director.

After seeing Trust, Hal Hartley was lodged firmly in the mandatory list. The relationship between Maria and Matthew managed to be both realistic and stylized at the same time. Not an easy combination to pull off. They talk to each other, rarely look at each other, and yet the connection is palpable. The film is deeply compassionate. The dialogue is like a sort of music, especially in its rhythms, its pauses. The supporting character roles, especially Maria's father are painted precisely with deft strokes.

Trust is one of my favorite Hartley films. Flirt is the only film of his I have found disappointing, Simple Men and The Book of Life are my favorites. I loved The Unbelievable Truth. I seem to have liked No Such Thing more than most other Hartley fans and Amateur slightly less, although I did like it.

Trust really should be on DVD and, although several Hartley films have just been released on DVD Trust does not seem to be scheduled yet. Tsk tsk. Wait for the DVD.

This is the film that inspired me to become a filmmaker. It is a beautifully shot, poignant and humorous look at families, life, and love. Hartley is probably the last great voice left in American film.

I love it when I find a movie whose ending eludes me until it actually occurs...and better yet, a film that is intriguing enough to engage the viewer without pulling any cheap tricks. This quiet, precise, immensely appealing film cannot be immediately labeled and categorized. I was (and am)fascinated by all the characters and am curious as to where they will be in 10 years...I'm passing this film on to several friends because I'm curious as to what their take on it will be.

The one day I accidentaly watched the film on TV and the next day I ordered it from amazon.com!!! (lucky me it was available) A movie that talks about all kinds of relationships in a sad, passionate, cold, funny way. Martin Donovan, a great actor, at his best. Extremities in a lovely way.

Perfect film. Beautiful. I agree with other reviewers who say this movie has about 50 quotable lines. I'd say more than that. Such a shame that so many people will never see this film. I highly recommend you buy this from amazon.com. It's only 10 bucks, how could you go wrong. It costs like 4 bucks to rent it, you might as well dish out the other 6. You will not regret it. This movie rules.

Strangely, at the time I write this, the DVD is not available in USA. Perhaps the added publicity given to Adrienne Shelley's acting career after her brutal murder will cause this to be rectified quickly.

Shelley and Donovan had hipness and chemistry and a great style. It's a minimalist film, but it lingers with you.

Watching Hal Hartley's Trust for the second time 15 years later is exhilarating and somewhat disappointing. The characters are contrived and overintellectualized, and the conflict between parent and child here doesn't ring true (it seems to have the usual bitterness of college sophomores). Also the gestures and dialogue are stagy and slightly pretentious. Never mind that; you're missing the point. The film is not aiming at realism; it's aiming at conveying the emotional turbulence of young adult struggling to break free from the orbit of their parents.

Plot and incident flow naturally and often end up in unexpected places. There's lots of surprises, many of them comic. The film is about throwing characters together and watching how they react. The moment where the girl messes up the kitchen makes you wonder, how will the father react? The dialogue (reminiscient of Stoppard or Mamet) is curt and enigmatic and challenging. And always entertaining. People are learning from one another and changing..possibly improving. The movie Trust is less about plot than a certain attitude toward life--how much trust should we place in family, friends, peers? People don't have secrets or histories; they have metaphysical complaints and frustrated dreams. Martin Donovan and Adrienne Shelly are not only young charismatic actors, they act and react with subtlety and focus. Yet both have chemistry with one another and manage to sustain this intensity without going too far (Kudos to Mr. Hartley for not aiming

for sympathy or making motives too transparent). Donovan seems adept at playing characters about to boil under, but manage to hold it in (He's at his best in the film Surviving Desire,).

Adrienne, that moment when you put on your glasses at the end was a great cinematic moment. Hopeful, assertive and maybe even cocky. Your fans will always have that moment to remember you by.

If you liked Trust, you'd also enjoy: Hartley's Surviving Desire (although it's more arty), Jill Sprecher's 13 Conversations about One Thing and her earlier film, Clockwatchers).

I don't like all of Hal Harley's films, but this one really struck me as quite good. It is a very orignal and creative tragi-comedy and has all the makings of and Indie-classic. The performances are hilarious, even though they look quite stale, but then I think that was the idea. Martin Donovan is a great actor in all of Hartley's films, and his Matthew character is incredibly unpredictable, which makes him one of the best screen characters I've ever seen.

I love this movie. I am a big fan of Martin Donovan / Hal Hartley and consider this the best of both. I love the dry dialogue and the quirky music - they blend so well! This is an unusual movie, and it was my introduction into independent film years ago. It got me hooked on indy films and I love this type of cinema much more than the big-budget hollywood blow-outs. Do yourself a favor and chill out watching this for a couple hours, you won't be sorry!